Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I have to tell you, Michelle, after reading the synopsis, I can’t wait to read Concilium.
The synopsis gave me more questions than answers. So I will try to limit my questions to reasonable if
not controllable. (smile). Keep reading there's a blog giveway entry button at the bottom of this blog.

1.)Concilium was just released July 27th, but what
does it stand for?

Concilium is Latin for council.

2.)Tell us a little bit about Leslee the heroine in
your story.

Leslee is twenty-five and a bit of a loner,
although not by choice.She has one very
close friend and a lot of acquaintances/work friends, but no significant other
on her radar.She loves the outdoors and
spends a large amount of her time in her yard, which is surrounded by a state
wildlife refuge. When you think of the qualities you'd most like a good friend
to have, you've most likely described Leslee.

3.)Where does she draw her strength from?

Her father died when she was
twenty-two.Her mother was devastated
and took her own life just months later. They were the only family Leslee
had.She had to learn very quickly how
to navigate through life on her own.I
think this gave her a core strength that even she didn't know she had.

4.)How did she become a target? If it's not giving
too much away.

She was driving home from a
girls'-night-out.She took an old
country road (always a bad choice). Something darted out in front of her car
causing her to lose control and run into a tree.Well, she was fine and her car had only minor
damage, but she saw something while she was out there that she wasn't meant to
see—a secret that some would kill to keep from being discovered.

5.)Is her attraction to Miller like the Stockholm
Syndrome? I know she is not his captive but he is protecting her?

No, her attraction to him is real, although
for the life of her she can't figure out why.She thinks he's unbearable most of the time and she's right.But she sees beyond his intolerable attitude
and gets glimpses of a kind hearted person hiding underneath.

6.)What about Miller? Is he hero or part of the
problem?

Actually, both!He is the hero.He protects Leslee, but that creates a whole
new set of problems.

7.)Does he have feelings for her?

If Miller were to answer your question he
would say: "I work for the Concilium and they say I can't have feelings
for Leslee. So I don't."But if you
read the story you'd see a very different side to Miller than what the
Concilium tells him to be.

8.)What projects are you currently working on?

I'm editing the sequel to Concilium.Concilium: The Departure is
scheduled for release in November. It will answer the questions left dangling
at the end of Concilium.

I also have a young adult science/fiction
romance titled PODs releasing through Spencer Hill Press June 4, 2013.I have a couple of paranormal young adult
novels on submission and I'm writing a young adult urban fantasy.

9.)Is there anything you'd like to tell your
readers?

Yes. I love to hear from readers and authors
alike!I love comments on my blog and
emails in my inbox.Whether it's
constructive (that means nice) criticism or just a note to say "Hi,"
I'd love to get it.You can email me at
Michelle @ Michelle-Pickett.com my website and blog both have my email contacts
on them, as well.I think Marian has
been kind enough to list them all below.

I loved having you here today as my guest, Michelle. Good luck with the series.

Author Bio:

Michelle has been an avid reader since a young child.She began writing for personal enjoyment in
college, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in accounting.Deciding sitting in a cubical all day was her
form of cruel and unusual punishment, she decided to do what she really wanted
to—share her passion for reading and writing with others.

She wrote her debut novel Concilium in 2010.The
sequel, Concilium: The Departure soon
followed. Both will be published by Muse It Up Publishing with scheduled
released dates of July 27th and November 2012 respectively.Her Debut young adult novel, PODs, will be
published by Spencer Hill Press and is scheduled for release in paperback June
4th, 2013.

Michelle
was born and raised in Michigan.She now
resides in a small community outside Houston, Texas with her husband, four
children, a 125-pound lap dog, a very grumpy cockatiel and a cat that thinks
she's queen.

Weapons you possess: Fingers, fingernails, cupped
palm, loose palm, elbows, knees, feet, head, (that includes your brain!) Look
for ANYTHING in your immediate surroundings that can be used as a weapon.

If someone approaches you and means you harm, you
must react. You have a few choices here, but your job is to survive and escape.

1)You can attack them first. This option should only
be employed if an attack is imminent. We don’t want to mistakenly beat the crap
out of the pizza delivery guy.

Scream as loud as you can, FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! And
don’t stop screaming. Kick them in the groin (see the video for an extra
special technique called a “Scoop kick”), scratch or poke the eyes, cuff the
ears with cupped palms, and then grab the ears and pull their face down into
your rising knee. If you choose this method, you must not hesitate. You have to
follow through and be willing to disable your attacker. This requires an
incredible amount of courage, self-confidence, and practice, but if done right,
your attacker will never see it coming.

2)You can wait until they have their hands on you and
react.

If they come at you from the front and grab you by
the wrist, follow through with the above scenario or use a circular movement of
your wrist and hand to break free and escape. If they have their hands around
your throat, employ the “stick ‘em up”, or “combing the hair” technique.
Basically, to break someone’s grip on your throat, you shoot ypour hands straight
up into the air and turn your body away. You can see the “combing the hair”
technique on the video and it will make perfect sense. Once you turn away and
their grip is broken, take a step back and drive your elbow in a horizontal
striking motion and slam it into their temple. Follow this with a slap to the
groin. I learned the groin slap from watching the video, but it makes sense. A
loose wristed slap will have a greater vibrational impact on the groin than a
closed fist which is more compact and requires more accuracy.

3)You can fake collapse.

If someone attacks from behind, this is a good
option. If you feel overpowered, rather than struggle, go completely limp, bend
your knees, and drop toward the ground in a crouch. This takes a tremendous
amount of self- control and presence of mind. An attacker will not expect this
and they will have to change their grip to hold you up rather than hold you
still. It will also disrupt their balance and have them leaning forward. Once their grip has loosened or their guard is
down, you can respond with springing up on your knees and slamming the back of
your head into their nose. This should loosen their grip enough to allow you to
drive your elbow into their solar plexus or temple. Turn around to face them,
cuff the ears, grab the ears and drive their nose into your rising knee. If you
are caught in a standing position and are being choked from behind, it is
sometimes not an option to drop into a crouch like this. In that instance,
scraping the side of your shoe down their shin and slamming your heel into
their instep is an effective attention getter and will force them to loosen
their grip. You can read about this sequence in detail in SAVAGE CINDERELLA,
when Cody is teaching Brinn to fight—team Cody lovers think this scene is kind
of steamy). You would then follow with that elbow to the solar plexus, groin
slap, poke to the eyes, and cuff to the ears. Another technique that will bring
your attacker down to your size is a kick to the lateral side of the knee, a great
option if you are fighting from the ground.

Basically, the rule is fight and don’t stop
fighting. Use whatever tools and weapons that you have at your disposal. Scream,
kick, scratch, bite, or gouge. Do whatever it takes to survive. You have a
right to defend yourself. You have a right not to be a victim.

Any questions?

Author PJ Sharon's Bio:I knew I would be a writer someday when I was a little
girl sitting on my grandpa’s knee and telling him stories that he would help me
put on paper. By the time I entered kindergarten I could already read and
write, and I couldn’t wait to look up new words every morning in the ginormous
Webster’s Dictionary that sat in the book case at the bottom of our stairs. I would
get on the bus and ask my friends, “Do you know what pulchritudinous means?”
Between that and challenging the boys to push-up contests at the bus stop, I
mostly sat alone on those bus rides to school. But that just meant I had more
time to make up stories.

I went on to many other endeavors in life, including the
world of figure skating, and later, earning a black belt in martial arts.
Though I was a mom at seventeen, I did manage to finish school and somehow made
it through college, earning a degree as a Physical Therapy Assistant. After
nineteen years, two sons, a divorce, and some fairly lean years, I found that
it’s true what they say about life beginning at forty. It was about that time
when I reunited with the love of my life and worked my way to owning my own
business as a Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, and Yoga Instructor—all of
my favorite things. To make my bliss complete, I moved out to the Berkshires
and found my muse waiting for me there amongst the lilacs and humming birds.

I now write Extraordinary Stories of an Average Teenage
Life in order to share hope with others, especially teens, that no matter how
tough life gets, there is always a bright spot waiting just around the corner.
My published books include the award winning YA Novels, HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES,
ON THIN ICE, and SAVAGE CINDERELLA, available through Amazon and B&N
Booksellers.

So what do I mean behind the psychology of self-defense?
Let me start by explaining the biggest challenge facing women when it comes to
defending ourselves. We are taught (conditioned) from the time we are toddlers
to “be nice, don’t talk back, be polite, don’t hit, don’t bite, don’t scratch,
don’t hurt anyone,” etc. etc. It’s not easy to change a lifetime of conditioned
responses. We are essentially taught NOT to trust our own instincts, but to
conform instead to a standard of civilized behavior that, in a confrontational
situation, could cost us our lives. Now I’m not saying our self-preservation
instincts can’t take over, or that we should behave like barbarians, but if we
hesitate when we are attacked, we will lose more than a place at the Miss
Manners table. That’s why it’s so important to practice techniques over and
over in a controlled environment, until they become automatic. We need to learn
a new conditioned response to face an attacker and gain the advantage.

I mentioned in last week’s post that if someone is
coming toward you and you are unsure of their intent, put your hands up and say
loudly and clearly, STOP! If that person continues toward you, they most likely
mean you harm. You need to be prepared to act. You can scream loudly, FIRE! and
run away if they are far enough away that you can escape. It’s better to look
foolish than to foolishly stay in place and become a victim. If the person
comes upon you quickly, you need to have a plan. Watch the videos on http://www.justyellfire.com
or check out Dr.
Ruthless for specific techniques. And stay tuned for next
week’s post when I go into more detail about my favorite self-defense moves sure
to make an assailant think twice. Whatever action you choose to take, you have
to make the decision before that person gets their hands on you…before they are
even ten feet away if you have time. Know what you will do and be prepared to
do it.

That brings me to another aspect of the psychology
of self-defense. Your greatest advantages in an attack are knowledge and the
element of surprise. Attackers target victims whom they believe to be easy
targets. If you are prepared to fight back, they have already underestimated
you, and this gives you a significant advantage. Training in martial arts,
women’s self-defense classes, or even cardio kickboxing will give you the
confidence and know-how to take control of a bad situation. If you have
trained, you will more likely be willing to kick, scream, claw, gouge, bite,
tear, or otherwise forget your civility entirely, and fight like a girl. You
need to be willing to stand up for yourself, speak out, run the risk of seeming
rude or even downright nasty. Confidence and quick action are weapons that will
turn the tables on an attack scenario very quickly. If you have spent most of
your life being a mouse, it is time to step up and become a lioness.

For those women who have been victims of a violent
crime, I applaud your survival. If you are alive today, it’s because you did
the exact right thing at the time. The purpose of these posts is not to make
you feel as if you should have done more. It’s to help save others from
experiencing the horrors of being brutalized by the bullies and cowards of the
world who prey upon women. If we can stop one attacker by stepping forward,
teach one more sister to stand against an abusive relationship, or help create
a safer environment where women don’t have to live in fear, I say, spread the
word and know that you have done your part. It is never too early or too late
to learn to defend yourself. Learn to FIGHT LIKE A GIRL!

Do
you have what it takes to stand up and fight for yourself? Do you have a
fighting spirit?

PJ Sharon's Bio:

I knew I would be a writer someday when I was a little
girl sitting on my grandpa’s knee and telling him stories that he would help me
put on paper. By the time I entered kindergarten I could already read and
write, and I couldn’t wait to look up new words every morning in the ginormous
Webster’s Dictionary that sat in the book case at the bottom of our stairs. I would
get on the bus and ask my friends, “Do you know what pulchritudinous means?”
Between that and challenging the boys to push-up contests at the bus stop, I
mostly sat alone on those bus rides to school. But that just meant I had more
time to make up stories.

I went on to many other endeavors in life, including the
world of figure skating, and later, earning a black belt in martial arts.
Though I was a mom at seventeen, I did manage to finish school and somehow made
it through college, earning a degree as a Physical Therapy Assistant. After
nineteen years, two sons, a divorce, and some fairly lean years, I found that
it’s true what they say about life beginning at forty. It was about that time
when I reunited with the love of my life and worked my way to owning my own
business as a Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, and Yoga Instructor—all of
my favorite things. To make my bliss complete, I moved out to the Berkshires
and found my muse waiting for me there amongst the lilacs and humming birds.

I now write Extraordinary Stories of an Average Teenage
Life in order to share hope with others, especially teens, that no matter how
tough life gets, there is always a bright spot waiting just around the corner.
My published books include the award winning YA Novels, HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES,
ON THIN ICE, and SAVAGE CINDERELLA, available through Amazon and B&N
Booksellers.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Cursed for 2000
years, Roman Nicolis has tracked his lovers’ soul through each reincarnation
only to lose her horribly every time. Reclaiming their love is their only
salvation. He’s been her friend, her father, her neighbor, but never again her lover
… until now.

ROMAN
NICOLIS

Personality: Honest but direct. Used to being obeyed

Age: 35ish

Height: 6’7”

Birthplace: Thrace, Greece

Dominant Feature: Piercing Blue Eyes

Occupation: CEO of Nicolis Security

Financial Status: Independently Wealthy

History: Cursed to find his love through time

Siblings: Twin is deceased. Sister Aria is deceased.

Inspiration: Losing Reign, his twin, inspired him to be a better
person

Birthdate: 10/ 26

Skills: Swords and guns

Fears: Failing to protect Stella

Dreams: Finding Reign and uniting the family

Food: He loves Italian

Lifespan: Unknown. Will he still be immortal after he finds
Stella

Offspring: None

Background: Vague.

Interview with Roman Nicolis

Hi this is Tmonique Stephens, I’m here interviewing Roman
Nicolis, CEO of Nicolis Security. In light of recent events concerning The
Village Strangler he, surprisingly, requested this interview to set the record
straight.

Tmonique Stephens: “Mr. Nicolis, you’ve had a very interesting summer.”

TMS: “Your company is not known for personal protection. Why
did you agree to protect Stella Walker, the latest victim of The Village
Strangler?”

RN: “She was a unique case. She needed immediate assistance.
Without our help she would be dead.”

TMS: “Is it true you're keeping her at your mansion?”

RN: “I can’t confirm or deny that statement.”

TMS: “How does your fiancée, Bianca feel about your house
guest?”

RN: “I’m no longer engaged.”

TMS: “Really, the wedding was three months away. Have you
already met the next Mrs. Roman Nicolis?”

RN: “My personal life isn’t up for discussion.”

TMS: “If that’s the case then this interview is over.”

(Roman stands up to leave.)

TMS: Really, it was a joke. (laughs nervously. Roman sits
back down, unimpressed) Okay…you have a very interesting family. Can you tell
us more about them?

RN: “There is not much to tell. I have 6 brothers. Thane,
E.J., Avery, Tyrone, Brayden and Quin. Oh, and Hector, my butler.”

TMS: “Yes, but they’re not really your brothers. Not
biologically.”

RN: “Blood couldn’t make us any closer. Many are descendants
of my sister Aria. They were orphaned and adopted by me.”

TMS: “Who lets a single man adopt young boys?”

RN: “Are you saying I did something illegal?”

TMS: “Did you?”

RN: (His smile wasn’t
warm and welcoming)

Tmonique shuffles her papers, searching for a question to
get the interview back on track.

TMS: “Is there anything you’d like to say about your twin?”

RN: “My twin is dead. There’s nothing more to say. Next
question.”

TMS: “You’re rumored to be very wealthy, but no one knows
how you obtained your wealth. Do you want to comment on it?”

RN: “An inheritance from a very distant relative.”

TMS: “Is it true there has been a Nicolis in every war since
The Revolution?”

RN: (his face shuttered) Possibly.

TMS: “More than possibly. I’ve done some research and dating
back to the 1777 there’s documentation of one a Roman Marius Nicolis. And in
each subsequent war I’ve found variations of that name until The Vietnam war.
You come from a long line of military men.”

RN: “Is that an insult or a compliment, Mrs. Stephens?”

TMS: “Definitely a compliment. What is your biggest regret?”

RN: “This interview.”

TMS: “Come on. Give me one.”

RN: “… I have many regrets. None I care to share with your
rapacious readers.”

TMS: “Why did you agree?”

RN: “Lack of good judgment.” (He stood) “Your time is up
Mrs. Stephens.”

TMS: “One last question. If there was one thing you could
change, what would it be?”

RN: (He pauses. For a brief moment his gaze becomes distant,
almost wistful. Then his features became guarded) “I’d change nothing. I would
live my life as I have, on my own terms with no regrets. (He leaves)

In high
school, Tmonique Stephens wrote her first novel about a reporter and a hockey
player after the U.S. hockey team won gold in the 1980 Olympics. She has a
Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing from City College of New York where she
won an English Department Award for her play Tea with Salt in 1987. She took a break to graduate from college,
get married, have a daughter, but she never gave up on her dream.

She loves
paranormal and fantasy romances and will read anything about fairies, demons,
or angels.She also enjoys Stephen King
and Dean Koontz. The first romance she remembers reading was a Harlequin about
a sheikh and his forbidden love for an American woman way back in middle
school. That’s before loves scene were included. Tmonique loves writing flawed
characters who reflect the emotional baggage we all carry. She writes
complicated stories for complicated people. Hopefully, you will enjoy her
efforts.

Tmonique
Stephens was born in St. Thomas USVI, but she grew up in The Bronx, New York
one mile from Yankee Stadium. She loves the SyFy and History channels, and
Asian cuisine. But her heart and stomach longs for anything from the Caribbean.
Have any Caribbean recipes out there? Please share! Her mother died before she
had a chance to teach Caribbean cooking secrets.

Currently,
Tmonique is working on an Egyptian God series. Why the Egyptian Gods, you ask?
She challenges that with, “Why not?” All the other gods have been extensively
covered, except the Egyptians. Undiscovered territory has always appealed to
her.

Expect her first book, Eternity, out this August from Soulmate publishing. You can find
her on her fan page Author Tmonique Stephens and Like her.Also stop by http://www.tmoniquestephens.com for more information on future
projects.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

YA author PJ Sharon has some great advise for teens and women on the art of self-defense in a three-part series.

The
ABC’s of Self Defense

Part One

I wanted to share some practical tips that every
woman, young and old, should know about defending themselves against an
attacker. I’ll start with some staggering statistics. Every two minutes in this
country, a woman is raped or sexually assaulted. One in four college women are
victims of rape. One out of every two women who are raped is under the age of
eighteen. Twenty-six percent of high school girls have been the victim of
physical abuse, sexual abuse, or date rape.

Does that grab your attention? It certainly grabbed
mine. Although I have a black belt in martial arts, I never take for granted
that anything can happen. One thing I’m certain of is that there are bigger,
stronger, faster, and better fighters than me out there who have become victims
of sexual assault. That’s why I think it’s so important to teach women how to
stand up for themselves and learn some self-defense techniques that work every
time. These are my ABC’s of self-defense.

AVOID

Prevention is about avoiding situations that put you
at risk. Even though some of this is common sense, women everywhere refuse to
follow these simple rules.

Avoid poorly lit parking lots and walking alone in
remote areas. Be aware of your surroundings. (That means don’t get caught up in
listening to music with your ear-buds while running alone in a park or other
such high risk behavior). NEVER get into someone’s car that you don’t know
well. If you feel uncomfortable, trust your instincts and get away from
whatever situation is tipping off your radar. If something feels wrong, it
probably is.

One of the
biggest risk factors for sexual assaults and date rapes is the use of drugs and
alcohol. It lowers our inhibitions, interferes with judgment, and affects
reaction time. That means that even if you know how to defend yourself, if
you’re under the influence, you are less able to utilize those skills. DON’T
put yourself in a vulnerable position by compromising your ability to remain in
control of your faculties.

BUDDY
UP

There is strength in numbers. Hanging out in groups
or staying close to a trusted friend will be a deterrent for an attacker. There
are still no guarantees, but making sure you and your friends are prepared to
defend yourselves will go a long way to keeping you safe.

COMMUNICATE

You have the right to stand up for yourself. You
have the right to change your mind at any time. You have the right to say NO!
If someone approaches you and you feel threatened, put up your hand and say
firmly, STOP! If they continue toward you, they are deaf and blind, or they
mean you harm. Scream FIRE! And get away. It has been proven that people will
ignore a cry for HELP, but will almost always pay attention to someone
screaming FIRE!

If you have
been attacked, abused, or raped, tell someone. Many assaults and rapes go
unreported because victims feel as if they have done something wrong, that they
are somehow responsible, or they feel afraid and ashamed. The trauma related to
a violent crime takes time and therapy to recover from, and keeping it a secret
will only compound the emotional pain and suffering. Communicating is the only
way to move beyond the wounds and find healing.

For more information and a MUST SEE video for about
self-defense and rape prevention, check out this amazing site, started by a
teen-age girl who started a movement. http://www.justyellfire.com/

Join me Wednesday for Part 2, the Psychology of
Fighting Back. Then on Friday, right here at Marian’s place, I’ll be talking about
some specific self-defense tips you won’t want to miss.

Would you know what to do if you were attacked?
Are you prepared? What self-defense tips can you share?

Author's Bio: I knew I would be a writer someday when I was a little
girl sitting on my grandpa’s knee and telling him stories that he would help me
put on paper. By the time I entered kindergarten I could already read and
write, and I couldn’t wait to look up new words every morning in the ginormous
Webster’s Dictionary that sat in the book case at the bottom of our stairs. I would
get on the bus and ask my friends, “Do you know what pulchritudinous means?”
Between that and challenging the boys to push-up contests at the bus stop, I
mostly sat alone on those bus rides to school. But that just meant I had more
time to make up stories.

I went on to many other endeavors in life, including the
world of figure skating, and later, earning a black belt in martial arts.
Though I was a mom at seventeen, I did manage to finish school and somehow made
it through college, earning a degree as a Physical Therapy Assistant. After
nineteen years, two sons, a divorce, and some fairly lean years, I found that
it’s true what they say about life beginning at forty. It was about that time
when I reunited with the love of my life and worked my way to owning my own
business as a Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, and Yoga Instructor—all of
my favorite things. To make my bliss complete, I moved out to the Berkshires
and found my muse waiting for me there amongst the lilacs and humming birds.

I now write Extraordinary Stories of an Average Teenage
Life in order to share hope with others, especially teens, that no matter how
tough life gets, there is always a bright spot waiting just around the corner.
My published books include the award winning YA Novels, HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES,
ON THIN ICE, and SAVAGE CINDERELLA, available through Amazon and B&N
Booksellers.